Hall of Scrubs

Gene Kingsale was the typical no-hit, speedy centerfielder who was always so close to becoming a great leadoff hitter when he was a top prospect for the Baltimore Orioles in the late nineties.  If only he could bunt more or hit it on the ground more.  If only he could get more walks.  Sadly, he never could improve those skills in the US.  But the coaches of the Netherlands national team seemed to have unlocked that potential.

This former scrubby centerfielder is making news recently as the leadoff hitter for the Netherlands team that upset the Dominican Republic in the first round of the World Baseball Classic.  He has found success in the Netherlands that he could not find in the majors.  I doubt it will result in a return to the majors. Once a player ends up playing in the Netherlands League, he generally stays in the Netherlands.

Kingsale got several opportunities to prove himself in Baltimore before they waived him in 2001.  He never hit over .250 for the Orioles.  The Mariners claimed him off waivers , but they only gave him 18 at bats before waiving him again.  The Padres claimed him this time and handed him the regular centerfield job in 2002.  He responded by hitting .278 and stealing 9 bases.  The Padres then traded him to the lowly Tigers in 2003 for catcher Mike Rivera (NL Stan Papi Award winner in 2006).  In Detroit, Gene joined the ranks of Gary Pettis and Kimera Bartee by hitting a measly .208 as the regular centerfielder.  They gave up on him after 120 AB’s.  It was his last year in the majors.

In addition to being a star of the Netherlands, Gene’s other claims to fame are that he was the first major leaguer to come from Aruba and he was also knighted by the person in Aruba who does that type of thing (likely a major baseball fan).

You can view Gene’s stats at www.baseball-reference.com:

Gene’s Stats

Danny Boone played three years in the majors as a lefty middle reliever.  He was a top prospect after being  drafted by the Angels in the 2nd round in 1976.  It was the 5th time he had been drafted.  He opted not to sign the first four times.

The Angels gave up on him in 1980 and released him.  The Padres picked him up and he rewarded them with a great year out of the bullpen in 1981.  He had a 2.84 ERA and 2 saves.  Danny struggled in 1982 and the Padres traded him in mid-season to the Astros for Joe Pittman.  He finished the year with 2 saves, but had a 4.71 ERA.

Danny was back in the minors in 1983, and was out of baseball by 1984.  He came back to play in the Senior Professional Baseball League in 1989 and 1990 and impressed the major league scouts.  He got a contract with the Orioles and pitched for them in 1990 at the age 36.  He pitched in only 9 innings and had a 2.79 ERA.

Danny is also a direct descendant of the explorer Daniel Boone.  It is often reported incorrectly that the Ray/Bob/Bret/Aaron Boones were related to this explorer, too.  There is no relation.

You can view Danny’s stats at www.baseball-reference.com:

Danny’s Stats

Joe Pittman was a weak hitting utility infielder who broke in with the Astros in 1981 after spending 6 years in the minors.   He hit .281 that year in 135 at bats.

Houston traded him to San Diego for Danny Boone in 1982.  He hit only .254 for the Padres and was demoted to AAA.

 He spent 1983 in the minors and was traded to the Giants in the off-season for Champ Summers. 

 In 1984, Joe hit .227 in his last major league year.  He finished his career with 0 homers and 16 RBI. 

Joe resurfaced in 1990 as a member of the St. Petersburg Pelicans in the Senior Professional Baseball League.   He finished that year hitting .258 with 11 RBI.  So, he did not get better with age.

 You can vie Joe’s stats at www.baseball-reference.com:

Joe’s stats

Besides having the perfect name for a slugger, Champ Summers was a very unique baseball player. He was signed to his first pro contract at the age of 25 after starring in a softball league. His mother was a professional bowler and he was a former teen tennis star who once beat Jimmy Conners in a youth tournament.

After signing with Oakland in 1971, Champ spent three years in the minors before making his major league debut in Oakland in 1974. He had only 24 at bats and hit .125. Oakland dumped him off on the Cubs where he played for 2 years until going to the Reds in a trade for the great Dave Schneck. Champ finally got his break once the Reds traded him to the Tigers for another great pitcher - Sheldon Burnside. Yes, it was the seventies and Sheldon did have some killer sideburns.

Champ’s left-handed swing was perfect for Tiger Stadium. He was the regular DH and hit 20 homers in 1979 and 17 homers in 1980 for Detroit. His numbers declined in 1981, so Detroit shipped him to San Francisco for Enos Cabell. He spent two years there before finishing his career with the Padres in 1984.

You can view Champ Summers statistics at www.baseball-reference.com:

Champ’s stats

As many of you know, Cale Iorg was recently drafted and signed by the Detroit Tigers in the 6th Round this year. Cale comes from a tremendous baseball family. His brother, Eli, plays in the minors and his father, Garth, and uncle, Dane, played in the majors.

Dane, the older brother, started his career with the Phillies, but was quickly traded to the Cardinals in a deal for Bake McBride. Dane made a name for himself as an excellent utility player in St. Lous. His scrubby play helped the Cardinals win the World Series in 1982.

Dane was sold to the Royals in ‘84. His numbers dipped in the American League. He went from a consistent .280-.300 hitter to a low .255. After scuffling for the Royals, he signed as a free agent with San Diego and finished out his career in 1986.

Dane was purely a contact hitter. He had no power or speed.

You can view Dane’s stats at www.baseball-reference.com:

Dane’s stats

Bill Fahey was the typical no-hit, great defensive backup catcher in the seventies and early eighties. He was drafted in the first round by the Senators in 1970 and he quickly established himself as a premier backup catcher in 1972 after the Senators moved to Texas.

Like other backup catchers of his day, Bill was considered an excellent “student of the game”, a role model and a future coach. Unfortunately, he was not a very good hitter.

Bill did have one good year for the Padres in 1979 when he hit .287 in 209 at -bats after being acquired from the Texas Rangers in a blockbuster trade for Oscar Gamble.

Bill was eventually purchased by the Tigers in 1981 and ended his career as a backup catcher behind Lance Parrish.

He never became a big league manager, but he did manage to teach his son, Brandon, all about baseball. Brandon is now a second baseman in the Baltimore Orioles system.

You can view Bill Fahey’s stats at www.baseball-reference.com:

Bill’s stats

Johnny Grubb was a three-time winner of the Stan Papi Award in the 1980’s as the top pinch hitter for the Detroit Tigers dynasty. He is one of the rare scrubs who spent his earlier part of his career as a regular. He even contended for the NL Rookie of the Year Award for the Padres in 1973. He finished 8th in the voting behind Gary Matthews, Steve Rogers, Elias Sosa, Bob Boone, Dan Driessen, Davey Lopes and Ron Cey. Not bad!

After scuffling for the Padres as a regular, Johnny was shipped out to Cleveland in 1976. He shocked the baseball world by slamming 14 homers as a starting outfielder for the Indians, but the rebuilding Indians decided to cash in on Grubb’s value by trading him to the Rangers for prospects.

Grubb transformed himself into a scrub once he joined the Rangers. He became a valuable 5th outfielder and pinch hitter. When the Tigers needed a good left-handed bat off the bench as they began building their dynasty in the 80’s, they chose to send Dave Tobik to the Rangers for Grubb in 1983. Dave Tobik! What a steal for the Tigers.

As a bench warmer for Detroit, Grubb helped the Tigers win the World Series in 1984. He also won his first Stan Papi Award. His dominance as a scrub continued through 1986 when he had perhaps the greatest scrub season of all time, knocking out 13 homers as a part-time player.

After a subpar year in 1987, Johnny tried to latch on with the Atlanta Braves. He did not make the team out of Spring Training and chose to retire.

You can view Johnny’s stats at www.baseball-reference.com:

Johnny’s stats

Luis played for the Padres, White Sox, Tigers and Cubs in the 1980’s. He was primarily a Utility Player, but he did manage to start a few years as a third baseman.

Luis is best remembered for being included in the infamous day of three trades for the Tigers in 1989. He was shipped to San Diego in exchange for Mike Brumley. The Tigers GM also acquired Charles Hudson from the Yankees for Tom Brookens and Kenny Williams from the White Sox for Eric King. All three players he received on that day failed miserably as Tigers.

Without Luis Salazar’s presence in 1989, the Tigers wound up in last place.

You can find Luis Salazar’s career statistics at www.baseball-reference.com:

Salazar Stats